Miguel Cotto
Statistics
Real name	Miguel Ángel Cotto
Nickname(s)	Junito, El Angel
Rated at	Light Welterweight Welterweight Light Middleweight
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Nationality	Puerto Rican
Born	(1980-10-29) October 29, 1980 (age 31) Caguas, Puerto Rico
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	40
Wins	37
Wins by KO	30
Losses	3
Draws	0
No contests	0

Miguel Ángel Cotto (born on October 29, 1980) is a Puerto Rican professional boxer. Cotto is a former WBA (Super) Light Middleweight Champion. He is the younger brother of contender Jose Miguel Cotto and cousin of Abner Cotto and Carlos Cotto. He is a four-time world champion in three weight divisions (light welterweight, welterweight and light middleweight).

Professional career[link]

Light Welterweight[link]

On September 11, 2004, Cotto faced Kelson Pinto from Brazil, for the vacant WBO Light Welterweight title. This represented the third fight between them, with Pinto being victorious in their two previous encounters, both of which took place while they were still amateurs. Many fight fans feel this was due to the training from Edward Bemis in Puerto Rico. The fight was televised by HBO from San Juan, Puerto Rico. During this card, Cotto utilized a defensive stance with his hands in a high position instead of his usual aggressive orthodox stance.^[1] Over the course of the fight Cotto scored three knockdowns and won the fight by knockout in the sixth round.^[1]

On December 11, 2004, he successfully defended his title, beating former world champion Randall Bailey by knockout in the sixth round, as part of the Vitali Klitschko-Danny Williams undercard in Las Vegas.^[2] Cotto's performance was described as a result of hand speed and accuracy.^[2] During the fight, Bailey received punches in his face that opened cuts over and under both of his eyes.^[2] As a result of the cuts, Bailey was examined by the ringside physician. Following this, Bailey expressed that he did not want to continue and the referee stopped the fight at 1:39 of the sixth round.^[2] Eleven days later, on December 22, 2004, the Puerto Rican boxing commission named Cotto as Puerto Rico's fighter of the year for 2004.^[3] Cotto's second title defense took place on February 26, 2005 in the Rubén Rodríguez in Bayamón, Puerto Rico against Demarcus Corley.^[4] During the fight, Cotto practiced a boxing style that was more aggressive than usual, trading hits with Corley over the course of the first round.^[4] During the fight, both boxers were deducted one point following illegal low blows.^[4] Cotto scored three knockdowns before the fight was stopped by the referee at 2:45 of the fifth round following a combination by Miguel.^[4] Corley claimed that the referee stopped the fight prematurely, stating "the ref just stopped the fight premature. If he wanted to stop the fight, he could have stopped it when I had [Cotto] hurt."^[4] Just a few days after retaining the crown versus Corley, Cotto received a personal blow when his stablemate and friend, former 2004 Olympian Joseph Serrano, was shot in the head upon leaving the Bairoa gym. Serrano survived the shot, but was in critical yet stable condition at a local hospital.

On June 11, 2005, Cotto faced former Olympic gold medalist Mohamed Abdulaev from Uzbekistan. As amateurs, Abdulaev eliminated Cotto from the first round of the 2000 Sydney Olympics. This time they met as professionals in New York City's Madison Square Garden. Before the beginning of the fight, Cotto received a positive ovation from the public.^[5] During the first round, Miguel went on the offensive, scoring hits on Abdullaev's head and body while he was in a defensive stance.^[5] In the fourth round, a left hook by Miguel hurt Abdullaev, who proceeded to focus his hits on Cotto's body.^[5] Abdullaev's offense was effective in the sixth and seventh rounds and as a result of this, Cotto assumed a defensive stance.^[5] Following the eighth round, Abdullaev's eye was swollen to the point of being almost entirely closed.^[5] In the ninth round, following accurate punches by Cotto, the fight's referee paused the fight and asked the ringside doctor to examine Abdullaev's eye.^[5] After being examined by the doctor, Abdullaev indicated to the referee that he could not continue and Cotto retained the Light Welterweight Championship.^[5]

Cotto vs. Torres[link]

Miguel's third championship defense took place on September 24, 2005 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, against Ricardo Torres of Colombia.^[6] In the first round, Cotto had an offensive advantage and scored a knockdown on Torres.^[6] In the second round, after trading hits, Torres scored a knockdown on Miguel.^[6] The last seconds of the round were evenly matched with both boxers finishing the round injured.^[6] Cotto was apparently in better condition when the third round began and was dominating the fight at that point. With two minutes remaining in the round, one of Cotto's punches landed in Torres' beltline. Following this, Torres was granted thirty seconds to recover by the referee.^[6] Cotto dominated the fourth round and Torres won the fifth.^[6] Cotto scored a knockdown and won the sixth round. At 1:24 of the seventh round, a left hook by Cotto knocked Torres out.^[6]

On March 4, 2006, Cotto retained his WBO title by knocking out Gianluca Branco, who had to give up during the eighth round of their bout due to a shoulder injury.^[7] Cotto dominated the fight as a result of jab combinations in a card that took place in Bayamón, Puerto Rico.^[7]

Cotto vs. Malignaggi[link]

Cotto's next scheduled match was against the then-undefeated Paul Malignaggi in a fight that took place on June 10, 2006 in Madison Square Garden.^[8] Cotto opened a cut over Malignaggi's right eye in the first round,^[8] which, according to Malignaggi, affected his performance over the course of the fight, by stating "this was the first time in which I was cut, and the blood kept going into my eye. And it bothered me the entire fight. I was not able to see very well. Cotto's a great fighter, but I'm disappointed, as I wanted to be the champion."^[8] Cotto won the fight by unanimous decision with scores of 116–111 and 115–112.^[8] Malignaggi suffered a fractured right orbital bone and his jaw was injured. He was taken to Roosevelt Hospital after the fight's outcome was announced.^[8]

Welterweight[link]

Cotto in his match against Oktay Urkal

Cotto relinquished his title in late 2006 and announced his intention to move to the welterweight division to challenge Carlos Quintana for the WBA Championship. The fight took place on December 2, 2006. Cotto defeated Quintana by technical knockout in the fifth round. Following a punch to the body, Quintana surrendered prior to the start of the sixth round and Cotto won the vacant World Boxing Association Welterweight Championship.^[9] Cotto's welterweight reign began successfully on March 3, 2007 when he retained his belt with a technical knock out victory in the eleventh round over Oktay Urkal. Urkal's corner threw in the towel because he was apparently down in the fight and had just had a second point deducted for a head butt, leading to his corner's belief that the referee was unfair.^[10]

Cotto vs. Judah[link]

On June 9, 2007, Cotto defended the WBA title against Zab Judah in New York City, performing before a sellout crowd at Madison Square Garden. The bout included a knockdown and a point deduction registered for Cotto, who established dominance on the offensive following a close start. At the moment of the stoppage, the judges had Cotto leading 97–91. Cotto won by technical knockout in the eleventh round when the referee stopped the fight.^[11]

Cotto vs. Mosley[link]

Miguel Cotto and Shane Mosley fought on November 10, 2007 at Madison Square Garden in a card made possible by a legal settlement between Top Rank Boxing, Cotto's promoter and Mosley's promoter, Golden Boy Promotions.^[12] The fight was broadcast on HBO Pay-Per-View and was won by Cotto via unanimous decision. During the course of the fight, Cotto pursued Mosley, who was reacting in a slow fashion.^[13] Late in the fight, Mosley displayed more aggression, at one point becoming the aggressor.^[13] Cotto's performance was described as "a rare moment in sports when a sudden star rises from what is categorically termed as goodness, to the cusp of greatness."^[13] On April 12, 2008, Cotto successfully defended the championship against Alfonso Gómez. Throughout the fight, Cotto scored three knockdowns before the fight was stopped following the fifth round, when the doctor indicated to the referee that Gómez could not continue.^[14] Cotto was selected the World Boxing Association's "Boxer of the Year" during the organization's annual award celebration, which took place in Buenos Aires.^[15]

Cotto vs. Margarito I[link]

On July 26, 2008, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Cotto suffered his first loss as a professional to Antonio Margarito in an unsuccessful title defense. Cotto had taken the early initiative, frequently landing a series of punches on Margarito during the early rounds while using his footwork to avoid danger. However, Margarito presented constant offensive pressure of Cotto and eventually began to wear down Cotto's resistance by trapping him against the ropes. Cotto was hurt in the seventh round after a pair of Margarito uppercuts caused his nose to bleed. Margarito continued to chase his opponent down and inflicted further damage towards the end of the tenth round. Margarito then threw a series of punches at the start of the eleventh round, with Cotto against the ropes and bleeding profusely. A combination from Margarito finally forced Cotto to his knee. He got up, but Margarito continued landing combinations. Evangelista Cotto threw in the towel after Cotto again fell to the canvas in the corner of the ring. Two judges had Margarito ahead by a score of 96–94 at the time of the stoppage, while the third scored the fight even. Cotto believes that Margarito cheated because there was a picture of Margarito with his glove off and his wrap was cracked^[16] HBO analyst Harold Lederman had also scored the fight even. Cotto's loss to Margarito has since come under suspicion due to Margarito's subsequent attempted use of illegal hand-wraps in a fight against Shane Mosley.

Cotto at the weigh-in on June 4, 2010.

Cotto returned to action on February 21, 2009 in a card held at the Madison Square Garden, this time competing against Michael Jennings for the vacant WBO Welterweight title. After both pugilists used the first round to study their opponent's style, the tempo accelerated during the second.^[17] In the third, Cotto pursued the offensive more fluidly, connecting with jabs and hooks.^[17] One round later, Cotto scored two knockdowns on Jennings, who was able to continue until the recess. In the fifth, Jennings was trapped against the ropes, which Cotto utilized to connect a right hook to score a third knockdown.^[17] Jennings incorporated, but the referee decided to stop the fight.^[18] With this action, Cotto was awarded a technical knockout victory, in the process winning his second championship in the welterweight division. On April 8, 2009, Cotto fired his uncle from the team's staff, following a violent discussion where his property was damaged. However, neither side expressed interest in pursuing any sort of legal action. Consequently, Cotto named Joe Santiago, who had served as the team's nutritionist, as his new trainer.

Cotto vs. Clottey[link]

On June 13, 2009, Cotto defended this championship against Joshua Clottey in a fight that was originally intended to be a unification that also included the IBF's title. In the first round, Cotto scored a knockdown after connecting a jab. In the third round, an accidental head clash opened a severe laceration over Cotto's left eye. The injury bled profusely during the fourth round, but he was able to control the pace. In the fifth round, Clottey was pushed to the floor during an exchange and was injured in his left knee, receiving time to recover before the contest resumed. In the sixth, Cotto trapped Clottey in a corner and gained offensive advantage. During the next two rounds, Clottey controlled the offensive, noticing that Cotto was unable to see right punches. During the last rounds, Cotto decided to employ his technique from outside, while the fight's tempo remained close. The judges decided the fight's outcome by a split decision victory for Cotto, awarding scores of 115–112 and 116–111 for Cotto and 114–113 for Clottey.^[19]

Cotto vs. Pacquiao[link]

Immediately after this fight, negotiations began to pursue a contest against Manny Pacquiao. Even before Pacquiao defeated Ricky Hatton, Bob Arum, who represents both Cotto and Pacquiao, stated that he was interested in this matchup.^[20] Subsequently, Pacquiao expressed interest in fighting Cotto.^[21] The fight was sanctioned as a world title fight in the welterweight division, where the weight limit is 147 pounds. However, Cotto's camp agreed to fight at a catchweight of 145 pounds to accommodate Pacquiao's smaller physique. Cotto's camp also conceded the larger share of the purse to Pacquiao, who received a 65% share of pay-per-view buys, compared to Cotto's 35% share.^[22]

On November 14, 2009, Pacquiao defeated Cotto by TKO at 55 seconds into the 12th round, dethroning Cotto as the WBO Welterweight Champion.^[23] The fight generated 1.25 million buys and 70 million dollars in domestic pay-per-view revenue, making it the most watched boxing event of 2009.^[24] Pacquiao earned around 22 million dollars for his part in the fight, whilst Cotto earned around 12 million dollars.^[24] Pacquiao-Cotto also generated a live gate of $8,847,550 from an official crowd of 15,930.^[24]

Light Middleweight[link]

Cotto vs. Foreman[link]

After the Pacquiao fight, Cotto moved to the light middleweight division. On June 5, 2010, he fought against undefeated Israeli WBA Light Middleweight Champion Yuri Foreman at Yankee Stadium in New York. Bob Arum had said that if Cotto were to win, he would become a frontrunner to defend the WBA belt against Manny Pacquiao in November. Cotto stated that he would consider a return to the welterweight division, in case of an interesting fight.^[25]

Cotto ended up knocking Foreman down with a signature left hook to the body in the ninth round, claiming the WBA Light Middleweight title, his fourth overall in three different weight divisions.^[26]

On March 12, 2011, Cotto defeated Ricardo Mayorga in a 12th round TKO, retaining his WBA Light Middleweight title on the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Cotto vs. Margarito II[link]

On December 3, 2011, Cotto defeated Antonio Margarito via TKO in the 10th round. The fight was stopped at the start of the 10th round because of the condition of Margarito's right eye, which was swollen shut. This was the same eye that was badly damaged in his fight with Manny Pacquiao and the one that almost kept the New York State Athletic Commission from granting him his boxing license because of the special procedure that was performed on it in 2010.

Cotto vs. Mayweather[link]

On May 5, 2012, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. faced Miguel Cotto for the WBA Light Middleweight/Super Welterweight belt at 154 pounds. Mayweather came in at 151. Cotto had Mayweather against the ropes many times resulting in some damage and a lot of bleeding from Mayweather's nose. Mayweather won via unanimous decision. When they hugged at the end, Mayweather told Cotto, "You are a hell of a champion — the toughest guy I fought."

Professional boxing record[link]

37 Wins (30 Knockouts, 7 decisions), 3 Losses, 0 Draws[27]
Res.	Record	Opponent	Type	Rd., Time	Date	Location	Notes
Loss	37–3	Floyd Mayweather, Jr.	UD	12	2012-05-05	MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada	Lost WBA (Super) Light Middleweight title.
Win	37–2	Antonio Margarito	TKO	10 (12), 0:03	2011-12-03	Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York	Retained WBA (Super) Light Middleweight title.
Win	36–2	Ricardo Mayorga	TKO	12 (12), 0:53	2011-03-12	MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada	Retained WBA (Super) Light Middleweight title.
Win	35–2	Yuri Foreman	TKO	9 (12), 0:42	2010-06-05	Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York	Won WBA Light Middleweight title.
Loss	34–2	Manny Pacquiao	TKO	12 (12), 0:55	2009-11-14	MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada	Lost WBO Welterweight title.
Win	34–1	Joshua Clottey	SD	12	2009-06-13	Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York	Retained WBO Welterweight title.
Win	33–1	Michael Jennings	TKO	5 (12), 2:38	2009-02-21	Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York	Won vacant WBO Welterweight title.
Loss	32–1	Antonio Margarito	TKO	11 (12), 2:05	2008-07-26	MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada	Lost WBA Welterweight title.
Win	32–0	Alfonso Gómez	RTD	5 (12), 3:00	2008-04-12	Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey	Retained WBA Welterweight title.
Win	31–0	Shane Mosley	UD	12	2007-11-10	Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York	Retained WBA Welterweight title.
Win	30–0	Zab Judah	TKO	11 (12), 0:49	2007-06-09	Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York	Retained WBA Welterweight title.
Win	29–0	Oktay Urkal	TKO	11 (12), 1:01	2007-03-03	Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan	Retained WBA Welterweight title.
Win	28–0	Carlos Quintana	RTD	5 (12), 3:00	2006-12-02	Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey	Won vacant WBA Welterweight title.
Win	27–0	Paul Malignaggi	UD	12	2006-06-10	Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York	Retained WBO Light Welterweight title.
Win	26–0	Gianluca Branco	TKO	8 (12), 0:49	2006-03-04	Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez, Bayamón	Retained WBO Light Welterweight title.
Win	25–0	Ricardo Torres	KO	7 (12), 1:52	2005-09-24	Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey	Retained WBO Light Welterweight title.
Win	24–0	Mohammad Abdullaev	TKO	9 (12), 0:57	2005-06-11	Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York	Retained WBO Light Welterweight title.
Win	23–0	DeMarcus Corley	TKO	5 (12), 2:45	2005-02-26	Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez, Bayamón
Win	22–0	Randall Bailey	TKO	6 (12), 1:39	2004-12-11	Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada	Retained WBO Light Welterweight title.
Win	21–0	Kelson Pinto	TKO	6 (12), 0:32	2004-09-11	José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum, Hato Rey, San Juan	Won vacant WBO Light Welterweight title.
Win	20–0	Lovemore N'dou	UD	12	2004-05-08	MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada	Retained WBC International & won WBA Fedelatin Light Welterweight titles. IBF Light Welterweight Title Eliminator.
Win	19–0	Victoriano Sosa	TKO	4 (12), 2:51	2004-02-28	MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada	Retained WBC International Light Welterweight title.
Win	18–0	Carlos Maussa	TKO	8 (12), 3:00	2003-12-06	Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez, Bayamón	Retained WBC International Light Welterweight title.
Win	17–0	Demetrio Ceballos	TKO	7 (12), 2:28	2003-09-13	MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada	Retained WBC International Light Welterweight title. WBA Light Welterweight Title Eliminator.
Win	16–0	Rocky Martinez	KO	2 (12), 2:42	2003-06-28	Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez, Bayamón	Retained WBC International & won vacant WBO NABO Light Welterweight titles.
Win	15–0	Joel Perez	KO	4 (10), 1:29	2003-04-19	Selland Arena, Fresno, California
Win	14–0	Cesar Bazan	TKO	11 (12), 0:16	2003-02-01	Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada	Won vacant WBC International Light Welterweight title.
Win	13–0	Ubaldo Hernandez	KO	7 (10), 1:31	2002-11-22	Coliseo Héctor Solá Bezares, Caguas
Win	12–0	John Brown	UD	10	2002-09-14	Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win	11–0	Carlos Alberto Ramirez	KO	3 (10), 2:34	2002-07-30	Lucky Star Casino, Concho, Oklahoma
Win	10–0	Justin Juuko	TKO	5 (10), 2:44	2002-06-22	MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win	9–0	Juan Angel Macias	TKO	7 (10), 1:54	2002-05-03	Orleans Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win	8–0	Sammy Sparkman	TKO	2 (10), 2:49	2002-03-01	Coliseo Guillermo Angulo, Carolina
Win	7–0	Joshua Smith	TKO	2 (8), 1:24	2002-01-11	Coliseo Héctor Solá Bezares, Caguas
Win	6–0	Arturo Rodriguez	KO	2 (6), 2:52	2001-07-28	Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Win	5–0	Rudolfo Lunsford	TKO	4 (6), ?	2001-07-01	Pier 10 Arena, San Juan
Win	4–0	Martin Ramirez	UD	4	2001-05-20	San Juan
Win	3–0	Waklimi Young	UD	4	2001-04-28	Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, New York
Win	2–0	Jacob Godinez	TKO	2 (4), 1:17	2001-03-30	Convention Center, Fort Worth, Texas
Win	1–0	Jason Doucet	TKO	1 (4), 2:12	2001-02-23	Frank Erwin Center, Austin, Texas	Cotto's professional debut.

Professional championships[link]

Major World Titles:

• WBO Light Welterweight Champion (140 lbs)
• WBA Welterweight Champion (147 lbs)
• WBO Welterweight Champion (147 lbs)
• WBA Light Middleweight Champion (154 lbs)

Regional/International Titles:

• WBC International Light Welterweight Champion (140 lbs)
• WBO NABO Light Welterweight Champion (140 lbs)
• WBA Fedelatin Light Welterweight Champion (140 lbs)

See also[link]

	Puerto Rico portal
	Biography portal

• List of current world boxing champions
• List of famous Puerto Ricans
• Boxing at the 2000 Summer Olympics
• Ring Magazine pound for pound top 10 rankings
• List of Puerto Rican boxing world champions
• The Battle (boxing)
• Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto
• Miguel Cotto vs. Yuri Foreman
• Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito II

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Miguel Cotto

• Professional boxing record for Miguel Cotto from BoxRec
• BoxingInsider profile interview with Miguel Angel Cotto

Zab Judah
Statistics
Real name	Zabdiel Judah
Nickname(s)	Super
Rated at	Light Welterweight Welterweight Light Middleweight
Height	5 feet 7+1⁄2 inches (1.715 m)
Reach	72 in (183 cm)
Nationality	American
Born	(1977-10-27) October 27, 1977 (age 34) Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States
Stance	Southpaw
Boxing record
Total fights	51
Wins	42
Wins by KO	29
Losses	7
Draws	0
No contests	2

Zabdiel "Zab" Judah (born October 27, 1977) is an American professional boxer. Judah has won five world titles between the light welterweight and welterweight divisions and is a former Undisputed World Welterweight Champion.

Amateur career[link]

Judah began boxing at the age of six and compiled an amateur record of 110–5. He was a two-time US national champion and three-time New York Golden Gloves Champion. He also won the 1996 PAL National Championship. Judah attempted to earn a spot on the 1996 US Olympic boxing team. After defeating Ishe Smith and Hector Camacho, Jr., Judah lost to David Díaz in the finals, preventing Judah from qualifying for the Olympic boxing team.^[1]

Professional career[link]

Light Welterweight[link]

Judah made his professional debut as an 18 year old on September 20, 1996, in Miami, Florida and defeated Michael Johnson by technical knockout in the second round. After winning bouts over George Crain and Omar Vasquez in May and June 1997 respectively, Judah closed the year with first-round knockouts over Cesar Castro, James Salava and Ricardo Vasquez. Judah began 1998 by knocking out Steve Valdez in the first round in January. Valdez, who had never been stopped in his career, went down four times in the fight. In March, Judah and his opponent, Esteban Flores, accidentally clashed heads in the second round, causing a cut to open above Flores' eye and the bout was stopped in round three as Flores could not continue because of the cut. The bout went into the books as a technical draw, but the result was changed to a no contest in May 1998. On April 14, 1998, Judah battered two-time Dominican Republic champion Angel Beltre, stopping him in the second round.^[1]

The victory earned Judah a bout against Micky Ward for the vacant USBA Light Welterweight title. Judah defeated Ward by unanimous decision to win the title. Judah successfully defended the USBA title by stopping Darryl Tyson in the eleventh round on October 15, 1998. Tyson was knocked down three times before the fight was stopped.

IBF Champion[link]

Judah captured the Interim IBF Light Welterweight title with a fourth-round knockout over Wilfredo Negron in January 1999.^[1] On February 12, 2000, at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, Judah fought Jan Piet Bergman for the vacant IBF Light Welterweight title. Judah knocked Bergman down twice in the first round, but Bergman sent Judah down to the canvas in the second round. Judah knocked out Bergman in the fourth round to win the title.^[2] On June 20, 2000, Judah made his first title defense against Junior Witter in Glasgow, Scotland. It was an awkward fight for Judah, as Witter rarely engaged in an extended exchange of punches. Witter frequently switched between fighting right-handed and left-handed, making him an elusive opponent. By the middle rounds, however, Judah's consistent body punching slowed Witter down, and in the fifth round, Judah caught Witter with a straight left hand that hurt Witter and sent his mouthpiece skittering across the ring. Judah defeated Witter by unanimous decision.^[3]

Two months later, on August 5, 2000, at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, Judah defeated former IBF Light Welterweight Champion Terron Millett by fourth round knockout. Judah was knocked down in the first round from a left hand. Judah rose quickly, and from that point on he dominated the fight. Judah hurt Millett with two combinations near the end of the first round. In round two, Judah sent Millett down with a right hand to the chin. Millett survived the round, but he was clearly hurt. In round four, Judah charged across the ring and inflicted a series of blows on Millett, dropping him to the canvas for the second knockdown in the fight. Millett got up, but Judah continued his assault and knocked Millett down again. Millett rose at the count of four, but his legs were unsteady and the referee decided to stop the bout.^[4]

In his third title defense, Judah stopped Hector Quiroz in the eighth round on October 20, 2000, at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Judah battered and bloodied Quiroz until the referee followed the advice of the ringside doctor and stopped the one-sided bout.^[1] On January 13, 2001, Judah defeated Reggie Green by tenth round technical knockout at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. Judah had trouble landing punches effectively against Green for the majority of the fight, but in round ten, he knocked Green down with a left hook. Green beat the count, but Judah then ran across the ring and sent Green down to the canvas with a right hand, forcing the referee to stop the fight.^[5] On June 23, 2001, Judah defeated Allan Vester by third round knockout in his fifth successful defense of the IBF title. In round two, Judah put Vester down to the canvas twice. In the third round, Judah knocked out Vester with a left hand that connected on Vester's temple. Vester went down on his knees and nearly lost his mouthpiece. The referee stopped the fight right before the closing bell. The fight would set up a unification match between Judah and WBC and WBA Light Welterweight Champion Kostya Tszyu, who defeated Oktay Urkal on the undercard.^[6]